You can make all types of different files on your PC; each kind of software program you use gives different types of file formats. For illustration,a word processing app will allow you to create document formats,while a graphics program creates graphic file formats.A file format is how information is encoded and stored to the file. The file format can determine what type of programs can read the file; for example,a photo application may not be able to read a document file format, but can
read other kinds of digital image formats.
File Extensions
When you create data files,you must give them specific names; a default file format is also assigned. Some programs allow you to assign some other,related file formats.File formats show up as extensions added on to the file name preceded by a dot,such as document.doc.Normally,you simply cannot see a file extension
unless you choose to view it.If you ever experience
a problem opening a file, it may help to view the extension to see what sort of format the file is.
System and Program Files
You can identify program files by their .exe extensions, which usually means
executable.When viewing Windows system files, you rapidly find a variety of file types relevant to different parts of the operating system, such as DRV for gadget driver or DLL for dynamic link library.
Other than recognizing these as significant parts of Windows,there is
no reason to try and open these file types other than the EXE format.
If you open an EXE file, you are launching a program.
Document File Types
You can develop document files in word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word or WordPadt and Corel Write,
only to name a several.The DOC format is one of the most well-known file formats for files you create with a word processor application. Other document formats contain TXT,RTF, and ODT. Adobe’s PDF format is another
substitute to other document kinds,and can be read by a PDF reader that you can get free online.
Graphics Formats
Graphics and drawing programs,like Windows Paint or Adobe Illustrator are used to create, edit, and
manage graphics files. Graphics can contain clip art,web graphics,logos,backgrounds,
illustrations,and various other digital art work.
Well-known graphic file formats include GIF, JPEG, BMP, TIFF, and PNG.Every program may also utilize its own
particular format, such as AI for Adobe Illustrator.Assign a typical format, such as PNG,if you want to share
the file with non-Adobe Illustrator users.
Photo File Formats
If you have a digital camera,you can take photos and save them on your laptop,sharing them with
others via e-mail or social sites, or saving them to flash drives and other backup media
units.Photo file formats are the identical as graphics file formats: GIF, TIFF, PNG, and JPEG. Digital
cameras also offer the RAW format,which generates photos with smaller file dimensions than the some other formats.
Multi-media Formats
Music,movies and video files are simple to recognize with their file extensions.Music files
use formats such as MP3, WMA, or WAV. Music files can also utilize AIFF or AU formats.
Video data files include the AVI, MP4, MPEG, WMV,or MOV formats. Movies you make with
Flash,for example,can use the SWF format.When you start a multimedia file, Windows automatically
attempts to open the recommended application to play the file.
Some other File Formats
As you view and set up files on your personal computer,you are bound to encounter a lot of other file
formats.For instance,Excel’s XLS spreadsheet format or PowerPoint’s PPT for presentations are
usual in the Microsoft Office suite of programs.If you are developing web pages, the HTML and XHTML
formats are used. Compressed files are usually saved in the Zip file format.Just keep in mind,the type of format
generally dictates what software is used to read the data file.